Summer classes

Well, my summer has been spent either working or in the classroom but, tomorrow is my last class of the summer session.

Thanks to Illinois state government, I, along with around 5,000 or so students here at Northern Illinois University, will go without financial aid this upcoming semester. For most of us, that means no college. Here I am one semester from graduating and the money is cut off. All I need to do is student teach and then I can graduate with my degree in special education. Hopefully I can work & save enough money over the next year to apply again to student teach.

I hate to ask what else can happen! I don't think I really want to know.

Just a question

I know there aren't many who read this blog, but for those of you who do, I have a question.

Some friends & classmates and I were discussing the pros/cons of the "friends with benefits" thing. All individuals were/are currently unmarried, some divorced, some never married & one was widowed. The age range was 23 - 50+ years and was mostly women, only a few men & they were younger. I felt as though most of those involved were saying what they wanted other to hear, not their real thoughts/feelings/opinions. As I sat & listened to the discussion, there seemed to be no real truth coming out of anyone. I thought if I posed the question here in cyberspace, maybe I'd hear some real honesty. So, here's the question:

What do you think about "friends with benefits" and why?

Weird stuff......

OK - how is this for strange: I've been divorced for over 7 years, didn't wear my wedding ring for over a year before that. Last week I was driving to work & all of the sudden I freaked out because I got that weird feeling like my ring was missing. I haven't worn a ring on that finger in over 8 years. Why would that happen all of the sudden? Kinda creeped me out. I don't really want to tell my best friend because she over-analyzes everything. It's just weird.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Wow - long time since I posted....

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted or read any blogs. I really feel out of the loop here. What's been happening??........ well let's see........

Alien #1 turned 15 years old.
Ex-hubby is still stalking me after 7 years - get a life weirdo.
Alien #2 is only 12 & taller than me now too.
The only mouse out of the litter I adopted as mine, died.
My plant that I rescued from sure death at work - it died too.
I haven't killed my children yet.
Summer classes have me snowed under with work & that creates stress.
I'm supposed to student teach in the fall but I don't have my teaching assignments.
Financial aid told me I was SOL to get any grants or loans for the fall semester.
"The" relationship isn't moving along as I had hoped. Probably never will. Why do I bother?
Made a new friend & study partner in my class this summer.
Mom & Dad went to Costa Rica to see my sissy & her hubby - I didn't get a t-shirt.

Overall - things have been overwhelming & I've been feeling rather melancholy lately. Don't understand what's going on.

Babies Everywhere!

Here is a picture of our babies at 2 weeks! PorkChop is the little guy with his eyes open & Sparky is the tiny one in the middle. So far, those are the only two with names because they're the biggest & smallest of the 5 remaining mice (we started with 7). These are also the two that are out of the nest the most. I'm not sure why Sparky is so small, he's always on the top of the heap! Maybe he burns off all the energy staying on top so he doesn't get squished by his siblings. Either way, he's the tiny one and my favorite.

The little ones are all over the cage now & Spots (mommy) has to gather them all in the nest every time she wants to nurse now. It's kinda funny to watch. I'm trying to get a clear video of it so I can post it here. By this time next week we'll be able to tell boys from girls and can separate them into two cages.

Pinky Picture

These are the pinkys! I got a better look at them yesterday and I think the head count is 7, not 8. It's still difficult to be sure. The Aliens are loving the cute little squeaky noises that come from the nest when everyone is hungry.

Although it's difficult to see in this picture, one is noticeably less pink (almost white by comparison) than the rest of them. I'm wondering if this mouse will have a distinctly different coat color than his/her litter mates. I guess only time will tell. I'll post more pics as they grow. Have a great Wednesday everyone - stay cool!!

Babies everywhere!

I would like to announce that Mr. Chunk & Spots are the proud parents of 7 (8?) new baby mice. The pinkys were born yesterday morning. Mother and babies are doing fine. Photos yet to come.

Sugar (my kitten) is loving the new sounds coming from what we call her "buffet", Spots calls it her cage.

Anyone want a mouse????

Sneaky Squirrls

From The Herald Times, Port Huron, MI

If he didn't see it happen, Ron Ceglarek said he probably wouldn't believe it.
A squirrel -- weighing about 3 pounds -- got up on its hind legs, tore a small American flag from a small staff next to a grave stone, rolled it up and carried it up a tree to a waiting mate building a nest.
It happened not just once, but about dozen times.
"He plucks them right off," Ceglarek, superintendent of Mount Hope Cemetery in Port Huron, said of a rogue squirrel that is stealing flags. "If I didn't see it, and I didn't follow the squirrel, I never would have believed it.
"But it is a band of tree rodents."
Every Memorial Day, volunteers put small American flags next to grave stones of the about 965 veterans buried at the Krafft Road cemetery.
All the flags were undisturbed during a Mass on Memorial Day. But the next day, cemetery workers noticed the flags were disappearing -- the small, wooden staffs still were in the ground, but Old Glory itself had been removed.
At first, the cemetery's staff was confused. Then, Ceglarek spotted the thief in action.
"It looked like he had a little bandana in his mouth," he said of the squirrel.
Ceglarek has collected a handful of bare staffs. The staples used to attach the flags remain firmly in place with pieces of red, white and blue fabric stuck to them.
The squirrels' nest is in Ward L of the cemetery --a ward now conspicuously without flags.
"Clean as a whistle," Ceglarek said.
The nest, which is about 45 feet up a spruce tree, can be seen by an observant cemetery visitor as red, white and blue cloth drapes over branches.
"Maybe they are trying to tell us it is going to be a hard winter," Ceglarek said with a laugh. "Why use leaves when you can get flags?"
As Ceglarek and Celeste Silvers, the cemetery's office manager, showed off the nest Thursday, one of the squirrels sat watching in a bush about 15 feet away. The other squirrel scurried around a nearby tree.
Most years, Ceglarek said the cemetery leaves the flags up until June 14, which is Flag Day. But, he said, the policy will be revisited.
"This crew here," he said referring to the squirrels, "is going to hamper that, no doubt."
"We're going to almost have to take them out early," he said. "They have one ward almost cleared out."
The other option?
"Shoot 'em," Silvers said. "But you don't want to do that."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869 - 1948)

What the ???!!!???

While doing laundry last night, I pulled this baggie of unidentifiable orange-ish mushy stuff out of the jeans pocket of Alien #2.

I sent a picture message to several friends offering $20 if the could identify the contents of the baggie. One person thought it might be cereal, another something cheesy, another friend simply called and asked what it was because she was dying to know! When I said I didn't know I was looking for suggestions her reply was, "Eeeewww!!!! Boys are so gross!!" It was at this time I reminded her that less than 6 weeks ago, she gave birth to a boy. She sighed.

My darling 12-year-old Alien #2 says his best guess is some cheese-related food product, maybe. I love being a Mom.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a

Self-Knowing Romantic Extrovert

My love of storms led to this photo......and a few more

I've never attempted to take a shot of an electrical storm before because my camera has never had the "photo burst" type of option. No longer! It only took 1148 photo burst pictures to capture my first lightening shots last Friday night as I drove through central Illinois with my friend.

Jail visit & my rantings

Wow! I don't know if I'll ever be quite the same. Saturday morning, I went with my best friend to visit her son in a maximum security jail. I think it was the most frightening day of my life.

We came into a small entryway & had to wait for the guards to buzz us in to the sign-in room. There we each had to provide our full name & address, social security number, drivers license number, relationship to the inmate, & 3 forms of ID. Additionally, my friend had to provide the plate number for her car & a corrections officer searched it. After that was done, we waited to be admitted into the next room.

When we were buzzed in, we were given our ID's back, searched, & sent through the metal detector, then searched again. Apparently, I have metal plates in the arch supports of my shoes & they almost took my shoes away. We couldn't take our ID's in so we had to lock them in up in a little locker along with the car keys. We were not allowed to take anything with us, I even had my chapstick confiscated & locked up until I left the prison. We were buzzed through 3 more doors & passed through an outdoor walkway with 12' cement walls topped with barb & razor wire. Then we sat for 4 hours in a room with 7 guards, 7 other inmates & their visitors. It was horrible.

To top it all off, my friend complains about how her son is treated so poorly for the first hour we're back on the road headed home. News flash here - if he hadn't screwed up in a major way, he wouldn't be there in the first place! Your son gets his laundry done, meals cooked, dishes washed, free cable TV, free room and board, and $10/month for sitting on his butt in jail for breaking the law. And you want me to feel sorry for him???!!!???

I work my butt off at two jobs, raise two special needs kids on my own, attend college full time, do all my own cooking, cleaning, & washing, I can't afford cable TV, I pay my own rent & utilities out of my meager earnings, and no one gives me shit for sitting on my butt all day. To top it all off, I have a crazy ex-husband that stalks me and I don't have an army of fully armed corrections officers protecting my ass 24/7! Do NOT expect me to feel sorry for him because he doesn't like the way he's being treated.

Sorry for the rant, I'm done now.

How much does the human brain weigh?

Well, Alien #2 has been having med trouble for some time now (almost a year). We have switched doctors and our new doc is working to get the right combo of ADHD meds to work for him. The insurance isn't cooperating so much. We finally get a medicine approved and need to increase the dose a little and the insurance throws a fit. This kid has been through 5 med changes in a month. Thanks to the insurance company, we have to keep changing meds because they don't feel the doctor is giving him the correct dose of the medicine. WTF? Who's the doctor here anyway?? I think we finally are getting close to the right dosage. It's about time.

Alien #2 also has ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), it's not pretty. When the ADHD meds aren't working, the child from hell surfaces along with the most obscene vocabulary you've ever heard. I've lost 30 lbs now. Not that I'm complaining, I need to lose the weight anyway.

Stress, however, is never a good way to lose weight. I think part of that is the loss of my mind, how much does the human brain weigh anyway? My sanity doesn't weigh much, but it's gone too. Misplaced with bills I forgot to pay - I'm sure of it.

Alien #1 doesn't help much either. Being the bigger of the two, he feels it is his right and his duty to annoy his brother at every opportunity. This does not make for a good combination. I'd like to kick his a** but at almost 6' tall, I can't reach his butt to kick it anymore! I knew he would be tall, but he's only 14!!

I told my best friend I needed a weekend off. So, she says take off overnight with me & my hubby can watch the aliens while we have a girls night out. COOL!

There's a catch - isn't there always. Now that I've committed myself to going on this overnight, she informs me we're headed 5 hours south of home to visit her son in jail! And this is supposed to de-stress me??? Visiting a convict in a maximum security prison???? Granted, it was minimum security & they upgraded it to max while he was in there. Since he only had a few months left to go, they left him in there rather than transfer him to another jail. Still, I have no desire to go meet her son under these circumstances or any other for that matter. I know what he did and why he's there. If it were one of my aliens, I doubt I'd go visit. The whole situation, it's just too weird.

I must have done something really horrible in a former life. It's the only explanation.

Kitty Litter??

Monday morning the oldest alien (14) comes downstairs to make breakfast the following is the conversation that followed.

Alien #1: Mom, I had the weirdest dream last night!

Me: Really? What about?

Alien #1: We were trick-or-treating.

Me: Well, that's strange for this time of year I guess.

Alien #1: We were trick-or-treating for - get this - kitty litter!

Me: Did you wake up with something dry & crunchy in your mouth??

Rose

My oldest alien showing off the first rosebud of the year last year. That bush got to be almost 6' high!

Raising Cat Food

Spots & Rico will be just that, cat food if the kids leave the cage top off again. Spots has already looked death (aka Sugar) in the mouth (literally) twice and lived to tell about it.

Perfect Landing

This was jump #2799 for my friend. Of course the battery on my camera died for the #2800 jump. Just figures doesn't it?

Sugar baby

This is my baby, Sugar. Isn't that little pink tounge sticking out just toooooo cute????

One final exam left!!! YEA!

I only have one final exam left so I'm taking a little break before I go back to the grind of the study thing.

In my previous post I listed some seemingly unconnected items. However, there is a link. I just finished off my clinical assignment for the semester (student teaching 2 days/week). It's my last clinical semester and I student teach full time in the fall of 2009. I can't wait to graduate. Anywho..... the list of items, all are stories from one of my students in my clinical. JD (not a real name or initials) is in the transition program for the special education students. He will be graduating this year. All these things are stories he has told me. These aren't real things he's done, he just has a great imagination. The "Fish & Slaw House" thing is actually the end of the year picnic the special education program has each year. It has become tradition for one of the higher-ups to bring in all the fish he has caught on vacation & have a huge fish fry for all the kids & staff. And I'm invited!! I love fish - I'm gonna eat my fill this Friday. Come rain or shine, I'm stuffing myself with fried fish. Yummy!!

So much for posting during finals.....

I still have pictures of the mice & cats to post, pics of a friend & skydiving, misc. crap. Had a ton of new templates to work from to update the look of my blog - lost all that crap when I had to delete it to make room for all the final projects & presentations on my 4GB flash drive. Who the heck knew I could fill up a flash drive that size so fast?! I've been so swamped with the end of the semester stuff I feel like I'm chasing myself down to get things done.

It's almost over and then I can put up a real post, but for now I'll leave you with this: What do the following things have in common?

• Riding a giraffe on safari in Africa
• Eating a Chinese fried bug while on the same safari
• Working for 35 years as a security guard at the bank
• Learning to salsa dance in Mexico
• Making Mexican salsa to bring home
• D & P's Fish & Slaw House
• Teaching 5 first graders Sunday School on Friday evenings

Stumped? I would hope so! Ponder the seeming unrelatedness (is that even a word?? it is now!)of these items and I'll update you with the funny story behind them once finals are done for the semester.

I'm nuts

I have no idea what I was thinking. I had the bright idea that the kids would be responsible & could handle having mice for pets. We have cats! Now the cats think we've brought home fuzzy kitty treats.

To top it off, one of the little buggers went crazy & started banging it's head on the top of the cage by jumping up over & over. Two days later it died. The pet store said it had some kind of neurological disorder and replaced it with a new mouse. I'll have to post pics tomorrow, they really are kinda cute.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Alien Update

I've been battling with my aliens' doctor for over six months now over their meds for the ADHD. Alien #2 is three years younger than Alien #1 and 6o lbs lighter, yet they are on the same dosage of meds for ADHD. This dosage works for Alien #1. Alien #2 is having major trouble and I can't get the doctor to change his meds & try something else.

So..... I've been searching for a new doctor for the boys & I because the one we have sucks. Today we had our appointments with the new doctor and he was fantastic! He's slowing changing over meds on the younger alien and trying something different. I love him!

Feeling very blessed today. Happy Wednesday everyone!

A Winter Wonderland - In March???

Beautiful, isn't it? I love the way the snow clings to the branches of the trees in these pictures. However, what I don't like is this was my backyard on Sunday morning about 8:30!

I live in Northern Illinois so a March or April snowstorm isn't unheard of, but our area got a whopping 6" of the white stuff and at the time of this posting, it still hasn't melted off.



Our cats are loving the birds that are coming to the bird feeder in the backyard in search of a bit of nourishment. They'd rather go for the easy stuff in the feeder than try to dig through snow deeper than they are tall. Oh, well, by this time tomorrow it will all be gone thankfully. We already have flood warnings out and are supposed to have thunder storms tonight sometime after midnight. Don't like the weather around here? Wait a couple of hours - it will change drastically this time of year!

Happy Monday Everyone!

An ADHD moment....

O.K. So, I'm sitting in my blow-off class for this semester, geology 120. Nice guy for an instructor & he does his best to keep things interesting for the hour we're in lecture three days a week. For whatever reason, I've been having some really serious ADHD moments the last couple of weeks and today it hit really hard in class.

He's lecturing along about the Earth's atmosphere & this is what happens:

Carbon dioxide comprises only about 0.03% of the Earth's atmosphere, it is however, one of the most abundant.........(Ewww, sweat marks in his armpits. Gross. Did he forget deodorant today) greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Venus has a 96%............(I wonder if he has some kind of medical condition........hummm.... maybe he's just nervous today........... nice haircut.........) content of carbon dioxide in it's atmosphere with a surface temp of 460 degrees C. ........(bet everyone noticed his haircut, but I get 3" taken off and one person notices........... well, my hair is a lot longer than his.......) Other greenhouse gases include nitrogen oxide, methane... (don't cows give off methane gas??? We have a lot of cows around the Midwest.....) and even water vapor is considered a greenhouse gas.

After class, I compare my notes with the girl next to me & I actually have more information written down than she does!

A good way to explain an ADHD mind is this (not my analogy but a good one): you have an 80 GIG mind working on 5 MB of RAM. You wouldn't do this to a computer & expect much to happen, but people with ADHD function like this everyday. It can be interesting sometimes.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Looking for a new "look"

I'm starting to feel the need to create a blog that is a little more personalized. Also looking at a new name that is a bit more "me". I'll probably try a few out & get opinions on it before deciding on the one I like anyway regardless of what anyone else says. lol

Having a good Thursday today. Feeling a little hyper (definite ADHD day) but it's all good.

And still not feelin' guilty...... :)

Not feeling guilty..should I feel guilty about that?

Ok, so without going into detail that enters the "TMI" zone, I have done something that I really should feel guilty about. Everything I've ever been taught by my parents, my church, others I respect & love, tells me I should feel guilty. I didn't do anything horrible or hurt anyone, but a small measure of guilt would be appropriate. I don't feel guilty. And I don't care that I don't feel guilty. Should I feel guilty about not feeling guilty? 'Cause I don't.

I'd love to talk with a couple of my good friends about this, but I think they'd be horrified at my small misstep. To them it would probably look like a major fall from God's grace and theirs as well. I'd like to just say, "Listen, I'm human & I make mistakes sometimes. Sometimes I don't do exactly the right thing. Sometimes I completely screw up. And guess what? Sometimes I do things that are downright stupid! So what? Deal with it."

I won't because that's too rude for me to say to those I care about. Because I don't really feel like I can discuss this with those closest to me, I'm feeling very odd. It's hard to describe, I seem to be thinking more & more about what I really believe.

I'm starting to question if what I have been taught is "wrong" or "right" or "justified" really is what I've always thought it was. Did I ever really think/believe something was a particular way or did I just blindly accept it was because that's what I was told. Guess this sounds like I'm feeling down, actually I'm learning more about myself than ever before & I like it. It's kind of a peaceful feeling to just quietly analyze things sometimes. How weird is that?

Crazy weather, Men, & Kids

The weather around here has been nuts! Northern Illinois has some bizarre stuff going on this time of year. One minute it's beautiful, sunny, & near 60 - the next day it's 10 below with a wind chill of -20! Come on Spring - get here fast!!!

Men, well, what can I say? Mr. Not-so-wonderful has given a very good explanation for his behavior and has thus been up-graded to Mr. O.K. A bit more groveling, and a couple more dinners out should fix the bulk of the problem. I can't let him get off too easily so early in the relationship.

Kids - What the heck? Acting like wild monkeys on a massive sugar buzz. This has been a daily thing for about 3 weeks now. I don't know what they've been in but I want some of that sh*t.

Time to quit goofing off & go create a plan to teach a student with severe autism how to work a padlock. Should be fun, she doesn't like the cold metal of the darn thing & we have to use this lock because it's a remote controlled padlock & she can't/won't work a lock with a key. Fun times for me.

Bye all.

Men & Maturity....

... or lack thereof. What the heck is up with guys? Males grow older, this does not necessarily mean they mature. So, when do men actually finish with puberty & start thinking with their brain, not things "South of the border" so to speak?

Why am I so ticked off at men in general??? I've recently been reminded the reasons I don't date. Adult males lacking maturity is at the top of my list right now.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Gloomy Wednesday

It's just above freezing and drizzling rain off and on like it has been for about a day and like it will for another couple of days. Yuck. I dislike this weather.... it's gloomy and does nothing for my mood.

The NIU memorial services for the students killed by a lone gunman on 02.14.08 filled the this past weekend. Memorial scholarships were announced, memorial monuments, luncheons, unveilings, a candlelight memorial service, and more kept most of the campus buzzing for the weekend.

I still find it hard to believe that a town previously known for the invention of barbed wire, Cindy Crawford, corn, and a state university could suddenly become known around the world in a matter of hours thanks to a lone, mentally disturbed, gunman who took the lives of five students and injuring countless others before turning the gun on himself.

God sees us through the most difficult times, thankfully.
Have a great Wednesday everyone.

We will always remember.........

Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant,
Ryanne Mace, Daniel Parmenter
There isn't much I can say about 02.14.08 in my post today, maybe when I'm feeling less anxiety about the one year anniversary of this tragic event I will comment more.

WE ARE HUSKIES! FORWARD, TOGETHER, FORWARD

Hair, Hair, Hair

I had been letting my hair grow out to donate to Locks of Love. I recently discovered they don't want my hair because I am starting to get little white hairs growing in & they can't be picking out the gray hairs from the ponytail. Well, there aren't any gray or white hairs in the ponytail. But, anyway now that it's really long, it's mine to keep.

I thought about cutting it a bit shorter, but the younger alien (age 11) became very distressed about the change. He has an anxiety disorder in addition to the ADHD and does not deal well with drastic change. Change must come slowly or there is a major meltdown due to the anxiety. So, here I am with lots of hair that I'm trying to figure out how to style it.

Typically I tie it up in a bun or a long braid on the side. Any suggestions would be helpful. I generally keep it confined in some way or another. If I leave it down, people tend to stare & it makes me a bit uncomfortable. I'm really self-conscious about my weight so I don't like people staring at me. (Except for "T" in the library, but that's a post for another day.)

I didn't realize how long it really looks to other people (I avoid looking at my backside in the mirror at all costs). One day early last summer, a co-worker at the library took a picture of me and that's when I really realized how long it really was! Sounds goofy doesn't it? It's on my head I should know. Anywho... here's the picture.

Massage by Bruno the Bouncer

A friend treated me to my first ever massage last Saturday. I was thrilled as things have been a bit stressful of late and a "girls day" with some pampering would be fantastic!

We arrived, signed in, and a polite, large, bouncer-type young man escorted me back to the massage room that was to be mine and left me to get ready. I thought he was going back out to escort my friend to another of the rooms. Ten minutes later as I'm laying naked on the table save for a sheet and my panties, in walks Bruno the Bouncer again! I'm already dying & we haven't even started yet!!!

Let me tell you ladies, nothing (and I mean NOTHING) will make you more aware of how much body fat you have than a massage will! Every inch of me wanted to run screaming from the room but I did my best to relax & let Bruno do his massage-thing. It was nice, but next time I think I'll request a woman for my massage.

Sugar, Quinn,Cold, & other stuff....

Rod Blagojevich has been impeached and Illinois now has a new leader, Gov. Patrick Quinn. Most politicians in Illinois seem to be crooked, that should scare you considering where our new president hails from. Let's hope he's above the garbage most Illinois Democrats seem to pull.

Sugar is home & feeling great. She also has a new tattoo! The new universal symbol that a female cat has been spayed is a green line tattooed on their belly right next to the incision. It looks really funny. Poor kitty has her little pink tummy shaved bald & then they ink a green line on her. Does this make her a "marked woman"????

It's still cold outside & I'm sick of it. This is day 7 or 8 (I've lost count) of below freezing weather. The longest on record for this area of Northern Illinois. There is something to be said for NOT holding the record for some things.

My student loans came in this morning! YEA! The gas company called about 30 minutes ago to let me know my bill was past-due. Thanks Ni-Cor Gas for bursting my bubble and ruining my moment of joy.

Hopefully that computer & laptop I wanted will still be on sale at Wal-Mart. They're last years' models & not the greatest, but they are new and will work for what I need. If my student loans had come in on time, I'd already be blogging on my new computer from home. They were an excellent sale price of $348/unit for a Compaq system. Not necessarily my first choice of brands, but it will do for what I need for a couple of years until I can get a really nice computer.

Since I'm feeling rich for the day, I'm going out to eat with the aliens tonight. That should thrill them. When I ask where they want to go, I already know the answer "McDonald's!!!". Yuck. We will not be eating at McGreasy's tonight or their neighbor's Blubber King. Maybe the nice little Tex-Mex place in town..... hmmmmmmmmm. We'll have to see, so many choices.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sugar kitty

Our sweet new kitten, now almost 8 months old is getting spayed tomorrow. Thank GOD! I am truly thankful to Him for making this happen.

A local animal shelter is giving out vouchers to cover most of the cost. So, having kitty spayed is only going to put a $60 dent in my pocket (as opposed to $250 or more).

Sugar went into heat a few days ago & I haven't slept in three days. She's got that awful caterwauling that will shatter glass. For those of you who have never heard a cat in heat, imagine putting kitty's head in a vice. Now, slowly peel it's skin off while it's alive. THAT is what a cat in heat sounds like.

I know it sounds gross and i would NEVER harm any animal, just trying to give you an idea of the horrid sound I listen to all night long. One more night of this noise, just one more night. I can't wait for Thursday night, I can sleep.

Love

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people. Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love. You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love. And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's Your Word?

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

My Monday started Sunday night.

Living in a house with two other people who all have ADHD, it's no wonder that over the course of a year, we have lost all three keys to our front door. No biggie, there is a door that goes into the kitchen from the garage. I've never had a key to it & only lock it at night anyway. So, we've been just using that door to come & go. No problem. Until Sunday evening......

Had a wonderful day at my parents' house with the kids, Great-granny, Mom, & Dad. Arrived home about 5pm. Pull into the garage, go to open the door and the knob comes off in my hand. What the heck?! I try for about 20 minutes to fix the dang thing so we can go inside, I'm tired, cold and have a headache. No luck.

I call my best friend & she thinks she has a spare key at her house. We drive 45 minutes to her house, pick up a random bunch of keys, one looks like it may be mine. We drive back home, try all the keys, nothing. Not one key works.

I call the landlord & proceed to lie & tell him the key got locked in the house. No luck there, he's in Chicago, 2 hours away. Crap.

I back the car up, turn on the headlights, and go back to messing with the broken doorknob. God had mercy on me & I managed to get it open in about 10 minutes. I told the kids to bring in the good from the car, turn off the headlights, and come inside. We ate dinner, rest of the evening was great.

I get out to the car on Monday morning & find the battery dead. Crap again. Dad to the rescue, he comes to charge my battery. We finally figured out that the kids turned on the dome light to see where the button was to turn off the headlights. The dome light however, was left on all night.

I was really ticked off at the time, but now it's just funny. However, I still have to fix the doorknob. I'll need to buy a new screwdriver first, kids lost all of mine. Oh, well, gotta love 'em.

Don't poke your classmate in the butt......

I really have no idea what this guy in my class was thinking, I think he's nuts but, I'll let you be the judge. Here's the situation.....

Last Wednesday, our only night class this semester, I'm sitting in class taking notes as best I can in the dark without my glasses. It's just over an hour into our 2 1/2 hour class and I'm starting to fidget.

I lean forward to about half-way lay on the table to take notes when the guy sitting next to me whispers, "What's this?" I turn to face him just in time for him to poke me just above my butt crack! I almost died!

I turned so red the professor probably saw the red glow in the back of the room. I can't believe I didn't scream I was so startled.

Apparently, when I leaned forward a bit, my shirt rode up & my jeans slid down just enough that about 2 inches of skin were showing (not usual for me at all!) and this dork takes advantage of the situation. Apparently, he didn't realize that poking a very jumpy, self-conscious woman 15 years his senior might get more of a reaction than he bargained for!

I wanted to slap him but by the time the shock wore off, it was a little late to do so. So, tell me.... what possesses a man to even THINK poking a classmate in the butt during a lecture is a good idea???

I will never understand men.

Bet you thought I died...

I bet just about everyone who ever used to read this has probably dropped off the planet or died by now it's been so long since I've posted anything.

I'm in my final academic semester at the university, I will be student teaching in the fall of 2009 - I can't wait.

My aliens are growing like weeds, still... nothing like having children that tower over you.

Our home was enlarged by four little paws last Thanksgiving, our new baby is named Sugar. Our other two cats, Charlotte & Holly tolerate her most of the time.


Is this not the cutest little face you've ever seen? She's so cute but such a little pain in the butt sometimes.

Her favorite spot to get into is the fridge. We didn't figure this out until after she got stuck in there the first time. The aliens & I hadn't seen her in a couple of hours so we started looking for her. I finally gave up & went to get a drink iced tea from the fridge. I open it up and guess what? A kitty! I think she must have been there for at least two hours & was moving kinda slow. Once she warmed up, she was back to her normal self.